Lurkers At Lunchtime
by MonsterChibiJaxmine
Summary: Jack and Annie didn't know the Treehouse could take them to other Universes as well as times...this is a crossover. Depressingly, there's no Category for The Magic Treehouse, so it's stuck solely in J&D. : Hope this doesn't make my first story a fail!
1. Chapter 1

The clock said it plainly. It wasn't later than ten o'clock. Unfortunately for one eight-year-old boy and his seven-year-old sister, it also wasn't anything but cold and clammy outside on this particular Saturday. The two had already finished 3 games of checkers and two games of Shoots and Ladders, and for now even Annie couldn't think of anything better to do.

So they sat, chins in hands, and watched their chilly-looking street in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania longingly from the living room window.

After fifteen minutes were lost to the abysses of childhood boredom, Annie gasped and turned to her brother in excitement.

"Jack!" She said eagerly.

Jack looked at her curiously, his eyes growing clearer behind his glasses.

"Yeah, Annie?"

"We should go to the tree house! I have a feeling that 'M' person will be there today." Her blue eyes sparkled.

Jack thought it over for a moment, then nodded, a little apprehensive over finally meeting the 'M' person. It would be strange, meeting the person who owned the tree house and all those books…Jack mentally shook himself.

"Sure. I'll get my pack, the Medallion and the Bookmark. You get our rain stuff."

As Annie nodded, Jack hopped up the stairs and grabbed the things from his room, double-checking to make sure his notebook and a pencil were in his pack. He never went anywhere without being able to take notes about important things. After he grabbed them, he scooped the Medallion and the Bookmark out of his drawer.

The Medallion was reddish-gold, with a formal 'M' imprinted on one side and some other, stranger symbol on the opposite side.

The bookmark was dark blue leather, with the same things on either side.

There was only one other place he or Annie had seen either symbol – the tree house. That same 'M' was engraved into the plank floor. He shrugged simply at the recollection and continued threw both items into his pack. Once he had everything they needed, he heard Annie calling from downstairs.

"I've got our rain stuff!"

"Coming down!" Jack called back, slinging the pack over his shoulder. He trotted downstairs and met up with Annie. She was already in her rain slicker and sneakers, and hopped in place impatiently as he got dressed.

After both of them were done up in their rain gear, they opened the door and stared outside, their breath instantly turning into mist. It wasn't raining or snowing, but the icy fingers of white humid mist crept over the neighborhood, seeming to strangle it. Jack shivered.

Suddenly Annie let out a cry. "CHAAARGE!" She joyfully shrieked, and plunged out of the house, tearing towards the woods.

Jack followed quickly, his shoes slapping the soggy hardtop.

Ten minutes later Jack and Annie stood at the base of the tallest oak in the woods. Birds were chirping cheerfully thorough the cold as they looked up the dangling rope ladder.

"Well, up we go," Annie said, her teeth chattering just a little. She scampered up the ladder, now oblivious to the wet cold. Jack smiled at his little sister and followed a little bit more slowly.  
The tree house was as packed with books as ever, pushed into every possible nook of the small rain shelter. Both kids looked around the chilly place. No books were suspiciously open today, and there weren't any that seemed to be placed strangely. They were free to browse the stacks.

"Jack, Does this one look good?" Annie asked after a few minutes, holding up a thin, laminated book to the weak sunlight.

Its cover was of a teenage boy with amazingly long ears and strange hair looking curiously out at them, a small orange…something…perched on his shoulder. The orange thing was smirking. The title was large, jagged, and bold. It proclaimed, "Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy".

"It has your name, Jack, only minus the 'C'!"

"Let's look inside." Jack said, interested, and Annie handed him the book. "It's got a map!" He said, pulling out the large foldout.

"Have you heard of any of those places?" Annie asked, looking over his shoulder. "They sure sound funny to me."

Jack turned the map sideways as he pronounced the unfamiliar names. "Sentinel Beach, Gol and Maia's Citadel, Spider Cave, Fire Canyon…they _are_ funny. I haven't heard of them, either."

Frowning a little bit, he flipped the page and wound up with an image of somewhere called _Sandover_. It looked sunny and warm. Or, exactly the opposite of where they were now.

Jack and Annie looked at each other and grinned through the cold.

"I wish we could go there," Jack said decisively, pointing at the picture of Sandover.

Suddenly, the wind began to blow, and the tree house began to spin. It started slowly, then spun faster and faster. Then, everything was still. Absolutely still.

Jack looked up from his newfound position on the floor- the spinning had knocked him to the ground. It had been a much rougher trip than usual.

Annie was already looking out the window, partially blocking the now bright sunlight.

Jack stood up and joined Annie at the window, squinting to shield his eyes.

The air was warm and sweet with the smell of the jungle and of the ocean that was just beyond the small village their window overlooked. From this distance, the huts looked friendly and full of sunlight, and one even stuck out over the water like it was on top of a ship.

"Where are we, Jack?" Annie asked in wonder. She'd shrugged out of her sweater and raincoat, as a T-shirt was perfectly good for this kind of weather.

Jack looked around for the Jak and Daxter book after he'd ducked out of his own cold weather clothes, but it was gone. There was something new on the wall, though- a copy of the map they had seen in the book.

Jack quickly walked over, pushing his glasses up to looked over the aging paper. This copy seemed older than the foldout they had just used.

"Because that's Sandover, this has gotta be the…" His finger traced the rough paper, and he paused. "This is the Forbidden Jungle." He swallowed hard, wondering about all of the possible very good reasons why it could be forbidden. He couldn't worry long, though, because Annie was already beginning to climb down the ladder.

"Let's go!" She cried cheerfully, ready to make her way to Sandover.

Jack began to follow, but hesitated. After a moment, he gently unstuck the map from the wall, and lowered himself onto the rope ladder. As he swung out on the ladder, he almost felt that he could hear his name being called or screamed in the distance, but he ignored it. There wasn't any point to getting himself more worried about what they would find.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I don't know which you'd want first, whoever is reading this, and I can't cater. Thus, bad news first: **

**My computer died, eating most of my story and leaving me to type in 10-to-30 minute periods at the city library. This equals almost no time to edit this particular chapter, and I'm worried those things are colliding, making this chapter suck. **

**The good news: I now know exactly how to type these author's notes, have an idea where this story is going, and have built up my hand muscles enough that the third chapter should be out MUCH faster. **

**Thanks to InvisibleJediMaster and Shadowauthor7 for reviewing me! And for having cool names...Okay, in order to not have my A/N turn out as long as my story, here it is! **

**P.S.: I love reviews. I wanna know where my weak points are in writing, so please, open season! **

* * *

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!" Samos yelled, his voice echoing through the village like a peal of Zeus-thunder.

Jak and Daxter winced from their places by Ollie's speed boat.

"How does Old Green Stuff do it?!" Daxter groaned. "We hadn't even turned the boat _on_ yet!" He sighed, hiding a relieved smile, and looked at his best buddy. "Guess Misty Island will have to wait, O Silent One."

Jak shrugged and retied the boat. Sure, Samos said never to go to the island, but it was one of the few (and getting fewer) places they hadn't been to yet. Jak wanted an adventure, something beyond scouring the village for more insects for his collection. Something new and exciting.

And though Dax complained constantly about it, he was sure he secretly wanted to explore just as much as he did.

"DAAAXTEER!" Samos shrieked, implacable as always. Jak rolled his eyes at Daxter, and they trudged warily up the beach.

"What have you two been doing?" Keira asked curiously as they passed her garage. Jak opened his mouth to deny the implied accusation but Daxter, as usual, interrupted.

"Just wiping out a few dozen Lurkers, baby," He said with a cocky smirk.

Jak rolled his eyes again. Daxter was definitely one of the most amusing kids in the village, as well as his best friend. Unfortunately, he also was the most annoying kid in the village. Sighing, Jak turned and continued walking up the ramp. Daxter glanced between them, obviously torn for a moment, but luckily for him, Samos chose now to let out another shriek.

"JAK! DAXTER! GET UP HERE THIS SECOND!"

Daxter jumped and scurried after his friend, ignoring Keira. She laughed a little, then set back to work on her new favorite project, the A-Grav Zoomer.

Once inside Samos' hut, The Green Sage regaled them with an imposing eye from his hovering position a few feet off of the ground.

"What's up, Green Stuff?" Daxter asked, lounging against the doorframe of the hut.

"If you two had been on time for your lessons today, the ones I so graciously allow you entrance into my hut for, you would already know." Samos growled nastily, staring the both of them down.

"Well, maybe we got better things to do than hear you prattle on about Precursor crap, Log Head!" Daxter said, instantly using the full advantage of his 4"10 height. Jak shrugged sheepishly from his position much further in the hut than Daxter.

"Like what?" Samos challenged.

"W-well, I dunno," Daxter said, glancing around the hut. He spotted Jak and blurted, "Wait- I meant, 'like adventuring'!"

"Well, perhaps if you had shown up for your lesson, you would be out in the Forbidden Jungle, uncovering a mystery. That should count as an adventure, right?" Samos asked, with the air that said he wasn't waiting for an answer.

Daxter decided to give him one anyway.

"You mean like picking some stupid rare flower? Or maybe we should look for some weird bug. Oh, no, Greenie, we have enough maid duties already in this stinkin' hut." Daxter firmly said, fixing Samos with a glare. "We are not your Jungle garden lackeys!" Jak bit his lip, torn between laughing at Daxter and worrying about what Samos might do to him.

"This is no simple task in observing flora," Samos sniffed. He swooped down, little bird following, and gestured for both Jak and Daxter to come to the window. After sharing a look, they did.

Aaaaand…nothing seemed different, at least for the guys.

"Well?" Daxter asked.

Samos rolled his eyes.

"Look at the view of the Forbidden Jungle."

After another moment of gazing out at the trees, Jak blinked. He squinted for a moment, then grabbed Daxter's arm urgently.

"Whaat?" Daxter whined. Jak set his mouth and gestured out towards the trees.

"Jak, buddy, ya really need to get more chatty."

Eye twitching, Daxter followed Jak's pointing finger, guiding him straight to the top of the highest tree in the jungle.

"Still not seeing- WHOA! What the heck is that?!" Daxter had finally spotted the small house perched in the tallest boughs of the tree.

"What the heck is what?" Keira asked, crossing her arms in the doorway. "I heard you yelling a little harder than usual in my garage, and decided to walk up. What's going on?"

"Keira!" Samos uttered majestically, continuing as he soared over to her (and ignored the boys scrambling out of his way). "There is a new, strange structure in the Forbidden Jungle. I'm sending Jak and Daxter are going to inspect it. Now that you're here, I want you to go along and keep them in line!"

Towards the end of his small speech, he noticed Keira opening her mouth. With the correct assumption that she was probably going to protest, he promptly insisted in his usual polite, respectful manner, that the trio leave the hut.

"That stupid sage," Daxter grumbled as they trooped off of the ramp leading to the hut. "I won't be able to hear outta my ear for a week!"

Nudging him, Jak rolled his eyes. Daxter glanced at him, and was shot a look that could only mean one thing: _drama queen. _

_"_At least I'm not some wannabe mute," Daxter growled at his buddy. Grinning mockingly at him, Jak mimed talking incessantly while he made a gesture at Daxter.

Keira giggled for a moment at this, considering joining in, but then she had to bite her lip. Someone had to be somewhat mature.

"Guys," She said. From their mock-battle stances, the boys looked at her. "Why do you think daddy wanted me to come along?." She frowned. "Usually he gets mad if we spend too much time together."

"I dunno," Daxter said. Abandoning Jak's side for Keira's, he gave her his best 'rougish' grin. "Maybe he just figured out our love isn't something he can put a end to?" He wiggled his eyebrows flirtatiously.

"Rule #1:" Keira said, irritably stalking ahead of him up to Jak. "I don't date buck-toothed redheads." With that, she smiled at Jak, making him look down and blush.

None of the three, as they continued on their way to the Forbidden Jungle, bothered looking back at Samos' hut. If they had, they would have seen their angry green father figure looking down at them with concern.

By Samos' best calculations, Jak and Daxter should have been going to Misty Island today, just as that house had appeared.

There was no mention of it in the ratty notebook his older self had pressed into his hands just as he and the boy soon to be named Jak had taken the Rift Rider. Nor had the plants given him any sort of warning.

It had just shown up, and it worried Samos. Unless he could quickly arrange things so they were similar to how they should be, with Daxter becoming an Ottsel and he and Jak beginning their trip North... The entire time continuum could be changed. Gol and Maia might win. Jak wouldn't become as proficient with eco as he should be.

If that were to happen, Jak would never be able to go into the future with the potential strength to save Haven.

Samos rested a hand against his brow. If things were altered that much, and he couldn't repair them...he doubted he, Jak, Daxter and Keira would be able to go back to his time at all, let alone save it.


End file.
